


remember me as i was.

by Gon (pepperedfox)



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: F/F, Gen, jp spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperedfox/pseuds/Gon
Summary: December 1st, 2017: a year after the Kogetsukan murders. Juliet Violet is finally allowed to walk the aisle with the one she loves. On her wedding day, she receives an odd yet familiar visitor.





	remember me as i was.

**Author's Note:**

> this one-shot takes place after the murder at the kogetsukan event that was recently finished on the jp server. if you haven't played through the story or read the translations, you won't get it! translations and summaries can be found on the subreddit fgoguide.

"Will you look at that. Oh my, oh my, I almost don't recognize you. Is that really you, Juliet?"

"You always have to make it a game, don't you Eva?"

Though the air conditioners were thrumming at maximum power, the bedroom somehow still felt stuffy. Juliet could feel a dampness at the small of her back just above the dress's laces, not quite a full sweat but certain to break into one the moment she stepped outside. She couldn't tell if it was the weather or her nerves. Perhaps it was both. Eva lounged in the chair opposite from her, sweet and rosy-cheeked in her white chiffon dress. If it weren't for her sly expression, she would've looked like a picturesque bridesmaid.

"I'm speaking from the heart, you know. I've always wished for my darling older sister's happiness." Eva rested her head on her gloved hands, her smile a shade softer. "Mama would've liked to see you in that dress."

Juliet looked into the mirror. A veil as fine as spider's silk, a gown with curves as delicate as a flower's petals - the outfit certainly  _looked_  elegant yet she felt anything but. She was still Juliet Violet. Dressed up well and proper, yes, but hot and nervous and very small in a way she couldn't explain. If she held her head up higher she could catch a glimpse of Mama's face. The same cheekbones, the same soft lips. For a second, her chest ached and her eyes prickled. She tilted back her head, blinking fast.

"Huh...? Juliet, what are you doing?"

"I can't ruin my mascara," Juliet said, and Eva burst out laughing.

* * *

 Nobody outside of the families could understand why Juliet chose Kogetsukan, of all places. It was, after all, the island where she had spent a sleepless week hardly daring to breathe as she laid in her bed, watching the bedroom door and listening for footsteps. It was the gravesite of her two fiancees and her mother, where a horrible taboo had been thrust into the light. But when Juliet sat Papa down and explained her decision, he held her hands in his. His hold was a gentle, loose warmth and his crow-footed eyes gave her his answer.

* * *

 "Surprise!"

"Surprise, surprise!"

Lorrie, riding high on Cain's shoulders, happily parroted him as she waved her wrapped present about. Eva clicked her tongue at the sight of them.

"One lovey-dovey couple is enough. You two get along too well for an arranged pair."

"Eva doesn't need to be jealous," Cain said. He deepened his voice, affecting a pompous tone. "This marriage is for the sake of my big sisters' happiness. I'll marry for the family's sake so they can marry for love."

"It's for the family's sake," Lorrie echoed, equally pompous.

"Ugh, you call Lorrie every day, you don't need to rub it in my face even more. Put those presents down and hurry off."

"Roger that."

On the second floor, Juliet watched them scurry off, with Eva trailing after them. The Goldie family was quieter without Morris's swaggering, but it was made up by Lorrie's cheerful nature. Deciding whether or not to invite them had been surprisingly difficult. None of the Goldies were to be her bride. Traditionally, they had no need to be here. Yet, wasn't Aaron her biological father? Even if he wasn't a shining example of a father - even if she barely knew the man outside of him being a historical rival to the Violets - their awkward bond meant she owed them something. If not for their blood relation, then for her mother.

Juliet leaned on the cool, wooden banister and pressed her cheek on her arm. "It feels so weird to be here again," she murmured.

The door opened. A flash of orange. Juliet's heart stopped.

_I can't be seen before the ceremony!_

She already turned, ready to flee the best she could on her high heels when the newcomer called out:

"Uh... hello? Are you Juliet Violet?"

"... huh?"

* * *

"I'm Ritsuka. Ritsuka Fujimaru. I'm a friend of the bride." A pause. "Not you. I mean, uh, the other bride."

To think she'd mistake a complete stranger for her fiancee! Juliet was embarrassed, though Ritsuka assured her it was a common mistake. Both of them were redheads, they were more or less the same height, and they were equally ditzy. "In fact," Ritsuka said, "people mixed us up all the time at school."

"I don't remember seeing you around," Juliet said.

"We were in the same club. It was the... uh..."

"The...?"

"Th-The host club!"

"... our university had a host club?"

"Oh, yeah, it was a secretive club open to only a select few, so... you know..."

"Hm. I see."

Something about Ritsuka felt odd. It wasn't the lack of a filter or how she dodged each of Juliet's questions with dogged and panicked tenacity. No, it was a nagging sense of familiarity nestled in the back of Juliet's mind, a déjà vu experienced after awakening from a long dream spent in another life. Though this guest was undeniably shady, she felt comfortable with her, as if she were catching up with an old friend.

They walked in the garden, where the lilies were in colorful bloom and the palm trees provided cover from any prying eyes. A stone path curved through the shade, lined by tropical flowers of every shape and size. Insects hummed and sawed, their songs soaring high into the blue sky. Juliet's pace was slow and careful, as she didn't want to muss her dress. Ritsuka matched her steps, hands laced behind her back.

"Can I ask you a weird question, Juliet?"

"When you ask it that way, it makes me nervous."

Ritsuka laughed, sheepish. "Sorry. All I wanted to know is... are you happy now?"

"That  _is_ a weird question. We haven't spoken before, have we? You don't have to answer," Juliet added when Ritsuka opened her mouth. "I don't know why, but I feel like we've known each other for a while. Save for my fiancee, everyone avoided me when I still went to school. So we couldn't have met there. I know she didn't talk to you about my family situation, either. I made her promise, for her own safety. But you seem to know a lot about me, even though I don't know anything about you."

"I'm sorry."

"No. What do you have to apologize for?"

They stopped at the pond, where the koi fish lazily floated beneath frond-spotted waters. Ritsuka looked pained. Her smile had shrunk, eyes not quite meeting Juliet's, hands now clasped before her as if trying to make herself smaller. She looked as Juliet had that morning - uncertain, nervous, scared of the future's response. It was the look of a child who was forced to grow up all too quickly, never given the chance to reject their role. Juliet recognized that expression all too well.

Gently, she reached out and tipped Ritsuka's chin up. The girl blinked, surprised.

"I worried all last night about whether I made the right decision," said Juliet. "I was the Violet family's eldest daughter and it was my duty to protect my family's legacy. If I married for love, wouldn't I place my partner in danger? It would be irresponsible of me to introduce them to my world out of a selfish wish. But my mother taught me that the greatest treasure was my freedom. And if my lover is willing to take that leap with me, then I'm sure we will both find happiness, regardless of what happens."

"Juliet..."

"I'll say the same to you, Ritsuka. Find what makes you happy." She smiled, suddenly mischievous. "You're way younger than I am, so I think you'll have time to figure it out."

Ritsuka's cheeks burned crimson at having her lies called out. Pleased, Juliet picked up her hem and began to walk away.

"I'll see you at the ceremony, then. I still have some things to do-"

"Wait!"

Juliet looked back. Ritsuka bowed.

"I'll do my best to protect your happiness! I promise, as long as I can still fight, I'll make sure you'll have a long and happy life with her!"

It was an impassioned burst from the heart, a cry rooted in a matter Juliet couldn't understand. But she could hear its sincerity laced in with the pain and thought to herself,  _What a strange and sad girl_.

"You're such a weirdo," she said fondly. "I've already told you how to make me happy. But thank you, Ritsuka. I'll see you later."

"... yeah. I'll see you later."

* * *

 

With the rest of the family inside, Juliet and her newly wedded wife walked to the cliffs to watch the sunset. On their way there, she thought she saw two figures in the forest: a tall man in a long coat and a girl with a one-sided pigtail.

"Juliet, dear? What is it?"

The girl was looking their way but turned and, in the blink of an eye, vanished with the man. Only the gentle swaying of the branches indicated that someone had been there.

"Oh, it's nothing." Juliet squeezed her hand.

"Ha ha, you're being secretive today!"

"Well, we'll have all of our lives to learn each other's secrets, won't we?"

"Yeah. We will."

**Author's Note:**

> i loved juliet and ritsuka's interactions during the event!! the murder mystery event was unique since it focused on a relatively normal family removed from magic and heroic spirits. they were awfully dysfunctional, but compared to the likes of demonic pillars and such, they must've seemed really average! it reminded me that ritsuka is only a teenager bearing the weight of the world's fate on her shoulders. and that led me to wonder... was she happy to have a "normal" friend? would she have been given the chance to see juliet off before the clock tower arrived at chaldea?
> 
> i'd like to think so.


End file.
